A former West Palm Beach police officer was sentenced to five years in federal prison Friday for knowingly carrying his gun while committing a drug-trafficking crime. Dewitt McDonald, 46, of Wellington , pleaded guilty to the charge in April, which came after an FBI investigation found he was illegally selling steroids, according to court documents. McDonald, who was a police officer for two decades, was overcome with emotion in a Fort Lauderdale courtroom as he told U.S. District Judge James I. Cohn that he "accepted full responsibility" for his "conduct and bad choices.

At 17, Warren Cohn has already drafted and debated a bill in Congress. He`s also been an an ambassador to Russia, and chairman of a political party. Cohn, of Plantation, was one of two Florida teen-agers participating in Boys Nation this year, a program the American Legion sponsors to teach high school boys about federal government. Ninety-six teen-agers gathered in Washington D.C. to meet their states` legislators, set up a mock government and make friends. "I wasn`t ready for the awesome responsiblity of running a government," Cohn said.

A federal judge Tuesday rejected a request by two Broward County senior arcades to block key parts of a new law that stemmed from a statewide crackdown on Internet cafes. U.S. District Judge James Cohn issued a 19-page order that denied a preliminary injunction sought by Boardwalk Brothers Inc. and Play It Again FLA LLC, which contended that the law was unconstitutional. In part, the arcades contended the law was vague and arbitrary and denied First Amendment rights of seniors who gather at the amusement arcades.

By David Fleshler Staff Writer and Staff Writers Buddy Nevins and Paula McMahon and Researcher Bill Lucey contributed to this report, March 17, 2003

The White House plans to nominate Broward County Circuit Judge James Cohn for a newly created federal judgeship in Fort Pierce, sources said Sunday. Cohn, a highly regarded judge who handles cases involving repeat offenders, has been selected to serve in the Southern District of Florida, which stretches from Fort Pierce to Key West. His nomination is subject to confirmation by the Senate. Cohn, 54, has generally ranked among the top circuit judges in the Broward County Bar Association's annual poll.

The simmering relationship between Planning and Zoning Board Chairman Kathi Sumrall and Planning Director Bob Cohn boiled over Monday morning when the two exchanged sharp words over the effectiveness and productivity of the city`s planning staff. The argument began while planning officials were considering ways to allow a home for retarded adults to open in the city. Delray Beach has no laws regulating such homes, and Cohn said the city can`t allow one to open until an ordinance is written.

Assistant City Planner Le`Roy D. Barron was arrested Friday night in his office in City Hall and charged with passing bad checks in Hernando County, police confirmed Friday. City Planner Bob Cohn said two police officers arrested Barron at about 5 p.m. Friday, just before the office was to close for the weekend. Barron surrendered peacefully, Cohn said. Lt. Mark Davis said officers arrested Barron in the Planning Department at City Hall about 5 p.m. He was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail in lieu of $1,400 bond, a jail spokesman said.

Fort Lauderdale lawyer Arthur P. Cohen has been publicly reprimanded by the Florida Supreme Court. Cohen, 39, filed an appeal of a cocaine trafficking conviction that was dismissed because of his failure to file an initial brief with the court. The high court concluded that he engaged in conduct involving "dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation." In another case, Boca Raton lawyer Stanley A. Cohn resigned, effective Jan. 20, in lieu of disciplinary proceedings by the Supreme Court.

The adoption attorney for actors Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman sued the National Enquirer on Friday for libel, saying the supermarket tabloid called him a "notorious baby seller and "shameless flesh trafficker."

A 75-year-old New Jersey man died on Tuesday after he smashed his car into a fire hydrant and a tree, police said. Martin L. Cohn III, of West End, N.J., was behind the wheel of his 1993 Cadillac when he veered off Northeast Fifth Avenue, jumped the curb and crashed. He was rushed to Boca Raton Community Hospital, where he died shortly after the 2:52 p.m. wreck, according to the city's Police Services Department. A county medical examiner's autopsy on Wednesday determined that Cohn died of natural causes and not as a result of injuries sustained in the crash.

Six years after the housing market collapsed and credit tightened, some South Florida-based lenders are easing up on the 15 to 20 percent down traditionally required for a conventional mortgage. Tropical Financial Credit Union and The Mortgage Firm are among those awarding low down payment loans, usually to first-time home buyers with great credit. So is TD Bank that has nine branches in Broward and 25 in Palm Beach. "It's a great loan for people who don't have a lot of money to put down," said Doug Leever, mortgage sales manager for Miramar-based Tropical Financial.

When Aaron Cohn was 9 years old, his uncle got him the chance to meet Yankees star shortstop Derek Jeter during a visit to New York. During the encounter, his uncle told Jeter that someday Cohn would replace him as the Yankees' starting shortstop. "Well, at least I have a few years before that happens," Jeter said. While still far-fetched, there's a least a chance Cohn could be in the same league. Cohn, a four-year starter for the Suncoast High baseball team, is among 1,600 hopefuls as the Major League Baseball first-year player draft begins Monday.

Alan Cohn, 49, is a native Floridian and an attorney with Greenspoon and Marder. The Plantation resident also serves on the board of directors of numerous organizations in the Jewish community and is a past president of several Jewish organizations, including Jewish Family Service of Broward County, Central Agency for Jewish Education and Temple Kol-Ami Emanuel. "Alan is the type of guy who doesn't know how to say no when it comes to the Jewish community," said Dr. Moshe Papo, executive director of the Orloff Central Agency for Jewish Education.

Senior Kyle Smith had 11 strikeouts in six inings of work to lead Santaluces to a 6-2 victory over Coral Springs in the championship of the Kogan/DiSalvo Slam Wednesday night. Smith (4-2) also helped his own cause at the plate by going 2 for 3 with a double, a run and an RBI. Cacther Ryan Burdick had a double and three RBI for the Chiefs (12-7), who won the tournament for the second straight season while also stretching their winning streak to five games. Alex Demicco took the loss for the Colts (10-5)

Don't expect any bombshells when Scott Rothstein pleads guilty Wednesday to running a massive fraud that fueled his meteoric rise from little-known labor attorney to omnipresent fixture in Broward County's political and charitable circles. Rothstein's 9:30 a.m. plea hearing at the Fort Lauderdale federal courthouse is expected to be a brief, no-frills affair, and it is unlikely that he will speak other than to offer one- or two-word answers to U.S. District Judge James I. Cohn's questions.

Suncoast's Aaron Cohn trains extensively to improve his baseball skills. On Wednesday that training paid off as the senior signed a college letter-of-intent, accepting a four-year scholarship to Duke. "The whole recruitment process can be difficult and when you know where you're going it is really rewarding," Cohn said. "I'm excited about the combination of baseball and academics that they can offer me at Duke, and ACC baseball is one of the best." Cohn is one of 23 Palm Beach County non-football athletes who signed their college commitments on Wednesday, with seven from St. Andrew's.

Two open town commission seats have drawn three contenders, Charles D. Cohn, Paul Kane, and Robert L. Lowe. a fourth candidate, Harold Hagelmann, dropped out this week, citing health reasons. The two highest vote-getters win the seats.

DELRAY BEACH -- Citing "constant criticism" and the lack of support he received from the City Council, Bob Cohn has resigned his position as the city`s planning director. Cohn, who took charge of the department nearly two years ago, officially will leave on Nov. 28. But he has administrative leave with pay until then. "The resignation is something I`ve thought about since January," Cohn said from his home in Coral Springs. "I have found the work environment in Delray Beach to be a very difficult one for a professional planner to work under.

At age 3, Jordan Metzner is already working the digging bucket on a backhoe like a pro. Jordan and other children got their hands on police patrol cars, fire trucks and Army jeeps at Cooper City's 10th annual "Touch-A-Truck" event. The early Saturday morning heat didn't keep families away from the Cooper City Sports Complex, which was filled with more than 30 vehicles from various governmental agencies and private collectors. The event is usually scheduled for the day before Father's Day to attract families, but this year it was moved up a week because of the city's 50th anniversary celebration.